Awards and recognition
Kyndryl celebrates Pride with Purpose
Article
30-Jun-2026
AI is reshaping opportunities for the next generation, especially for those new to the professional workforce. That’s why Kyndryl and Fair Chance Futures – a Columbia University initiative and Kyndryl Foundation partner – have joined forces to equip program graduates with the AI skills and training employers need. The partnership also helps scale fair-chance hiring and expand access to technology careers.
Following a fireside chat at Columbia’s Winning With AI: The Next Phase of Work event, Kyndryl U.S. president Jamie Rutledge and Fair Chance Futures founder and executive director Aedan Macdonald discussed strategies for preparing for a career in the AI-driven economy.
Aedan Macdonald: For students — especially Fair Chance Futures fellows — there’s both opportunity and uncertainty when it comes to entering today’s AI-driven workforce. They’re building AI and professional skills, but still ask: How do I add value? Am I using AI the right way?
Jamie Rutledge: AI is embedded in nearly every workplace tool and system. The question isn’t, “Will I use AI?” It’s “How do I use AI well?” That's the kind of curiosity employers are looking for.
AI can generate insights, but what someone does with those insights is how they differentiate themselves. People can stand out from the crowd by asking the right questions, applying context and exercising good judgment.
Your fellows and others who are new to the workforce have an advantage because they won’t spend time comparing ways of working to how “things were done before.” Instead, they’ll jump right into working with AI agents as colleagues — not tools.
Programs like Fair Chance Futures are impactful because they don’t just teach tools — they prepare students for roles that didn’t exist a few years ago, where success depends on how well you can apply AI in real environments. This is where curiosity becomes real currency. The people who succeed will be those who ask better questions, stay open to uncertainty and learn quickly.
Macdonald: You talk a lot about “winning with AI.” What does that actually mean for both companies and individuals just starting their careers?
Rutledge: Companies aren’t buying AI – they’re buying outcomes. They’re buying productivity, agility and innovation.
For students aiming to differentiate themselves in the job market, as I mentioned before, to win with AI, you need to lead with ideas and focus on how those ideas translate to outcomes. Customers already know they need to modernize. They already know AI will reshape their business, so questions are not “what” or “why,” but “how do I actually make it happen?” The opportunity is for people to share their experiences and ideas and use their human expertise to move from ideation to execution.
One more thing: It is important to do it fast. AI is fast, so speed is a competitive advantage.
Macdonald: Fair Chance Futures is built on the belief that access to opportunity can be life-changing. Yet many of our fellows still have real concerns about job security, value and whether their skills will matter. What would you say to them?
Rutledge: Those concerns are real. But there are human skills, like judgment, creativity, and the fundamentals of leadership that technology can’t replace.
AI brings a lot of good. It removes the need to be perfect at everything and increases the speed at which decisions, execution and learning are done. However, it’s nothing unless it’s applied correctly by people.
You can’t treat AI like magic — it’s more like a very advanced calculator. If you don’t understand it, you can’t use it effectively.
My advice to those concerned by the technology is to focus on understanding it, applying it to your areas of interest, and developing the skills, judgement and learning to begin working with it as a digital colleague. I’d also challenge students to stay curious, experiment and be willing to fail fast. The people who succeed won’t avoid uncertainty — they’ll know how to navigate it.
AI can accelerate the work — but it’s still people who create value from it.
